


Red Recovering

by Decaytale



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Healing, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of Rape, PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-03-01 19:34:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13301745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Decaytale/pseuds/Decaytale
Summary: After being rescued from Stretch, Blue, and thier twisted experiments, Red has a long recovery ahead of him. He has no idea who he can even trust anymore.A sequel to Experimentation by DeckofDragons http://archiveofourown.org/works/11004690/chapters/29682858





	1. Waking Up

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DeckofDragons](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeckofDragons/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Experimentation](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11004690) by [DeckofDragons](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeckofDragons/pseuds/DeckofDragons). 



Red whimpered softly from his place on the bed. He didn't want to open his eyes. Everything hurt. Whatever didn't hurt just felt numb and cold… His soul. His soul felt numb and cold. Maybe that was just the magic dampener though… Maybe… He didn't try to move. Why bother trying when you knew what was going to happen? He knew his arms were chained like always, and it would only hurt if he moved.

The bedding didn't stink as much as usual at least. He wondered when the sheets had been changed. He didn't remember being off the bed recently… Then again he'd probably been passed out long enough for it to be done. That was the only explanation for that crazy fantasy of being rescued. He'd passed out, they had done their business, and then the sheets had been changed, probably by Blue.

An involuntary shudder tore through him when he thought of that name, making his bones rattle softly. It felt like even thinking of Blue or Stretch would summon them to this room. He could hear something. It was clattering in the kitchen. Blue was probably cooking… Stars, he hoped this wasn't going to be another game of making him throw up again. Red never wanted to see cake again. He listened as the clattering went on for a while longer before it finally stopped. Footsteps moved around purposefully before he could hear them moving up the steps.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. And a shorter seventh. Blue. It was definitely Blue. The steps had been taken two at a time. If it was Stretch, he would either teleport right to the door or would deliberately take the steps one at a time just to torment Red. Blue was a lot more straightforward about it. That was alright. Blue wasn't as bad as Stretch. As long as he could keep his soul out of the mix, he could handle this.

The footsteps were moving uncharacteristically slow across the floor. It was a measured pace… It wasn't like Blue to drag this out. He should have come running through the door by now. Maybe it was Stretch messing with him again. He wouldn't put it past the asshole, and the steps seemed too long to be Blue, now that he was paying more attention to the sound.

He couldn't stop from shaking as the steps drew closer and closer to the door. He gripped at the mattress above his head, already starting to sob as he heard the doorknob turning. He kept his eyes shut tightly, not wanting to see Stretch's smug face. He knew he'd be taunted for crying before anything had even been done to him. He pulled his knees up to his chest and turned his face into the pillow to hide more, desperate to protect himself. The door opened and he could hear the steps rushing towards him faster.

He had no idea when he had started talking, but he could vaguely make out that he was sobbing and pleading to be left alone. He just couldn't take it anymore. A few times he pleaded for his captor to just kill him already. It took him too long to realize that he was being touched. Arms were curled around him and he was being squeezed and rocked and someone was shushing him softly, occasionally saying a word or two.

It didn't sound like Stretch…

It didn't sound like Blue…

He slowly stopped crying, focusing on what was being said to him. “I AM RIGHT HERE. RED, LOOK AT ME. YOU ARE FINE NOW. YOU ARE SAFE. I HAVE YOU NOW. NOBODY WILL HURT YOU.”

That sounded way too much like…

“B-boss?”

“THAT'S RIGHT. I HAVE YOU NOW BROTHER. OPEN YOUR EYES.”

Red shivered, slowly obeying his brother. The socket that had been violated still hadn't recovered and his sight on that side was so blurry he couldn't really see. On the other side though, he could clearly see his brother. Edge was leaning close, examining the damaged eye carefully. 

“DO NOT WORRY. YOUR EYE SHOULD GET BETTER IN TIME. IT IS RECOVERING. IN THE MEANTIME…” Sans gasped as Edge picked him up and walked towards the bathroom “YOU REEK OF THAT PLACE AND THOSE TWO. YOU ARE TAKING A SHOWER.”

“heh. Thanks boss.” Red said, he was unsteady when he was set down. he'd spent so long chained down, it was hard to stand now. He clung to Edge's arm as the water was set to a blissfully hot temperature. Edge didn't complain about his clothing getting soaked. He just kneeled by the tub, patiently scrubbing every inch of Red's body. It was embarrassing and felt more than a little invasive, but Red was too glad to care.

Every bone of his body felt completely filthy. He knew part of it was mental, but the burning hot water and being scrubbed so hard that it actually started to hurt did a LOT to make him feel clean again. Edge just soothed him as much as he could. It wasn't something he was good at, but he promised to be less harsh. To give Red as long as he needed to recover. No nagging about getting a job or chores. No throwing him outside to force him to get some air. Red would have all the time he needed and could do whatever he wanted as long as he didn't go disappearing ever again. Red sighed contently as he was wrapped in a big fluffy towel and lifted from the tub. 

Edge had even gotten him a new set of the clothing he'd loved so much. Before long, Red was dressed up in his shorts, fur trimmed black coat, and everything. For the first time in a long while, Red did feel safe. It was good to be clean and covered and home. He had missed home a lot. He curled up over the blankets.

“hey boss?”

“YES?”

“thank you…”

“…GET YOUR REST.”

“yeah… that sounds nice…” Red said, yawning. He had just woken up, but a nap sounded perfect right now. He reached over to turn on some music and let the familiar sounds carry him off.


	2. Open Door Policy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few weeks have passed since Red came home, but he still has nightmares every night, refuses to see anyone but his brother, and Edge is beginning to lose his patience.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully you all like this. writing a mental breakdown is pretty hard!

Red woke up from another nightmare to his own frantic screaming, bolting up in his bed. The weight of his jacket grounded him in reality first. He looked around to be sure that he really was still in his own room like he thought.

 His pile of mustard bottles. His speakers. His phone beside him. His bed. His sheets. His clothing. His walls. He was here. He was safe. His phone started ringing and he wiped away tears as he picked it up

“yeah?”

“IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT?” It was just Edge.

“oh, yeah… just a bad dream…”

“AGAIN?”

“it's fine, boss.” Red muttered, getting up “ya don't gotta come up or anything. i'm just gonna take a shower…”

“…FINE.” Red hung up the phone.

He'd only been home for a few weeks, but he knew Edge’s patience was already running out. Edge wasn't exactly a natural at the whole nurturing thing. He had promised Red time and care, but Red knew that he'd been expected to have recovered by now.

He was trying. He really was trying, but it was harder than that. He couldn't just get over it… Edge probably thought he was just being weak… being pathetic… being annoying… Annoying like always. Red cracked open his door, but froze when he heard people talking downstairs… Edge and Razz, probably meant that Slim was somewhere around here too. Red shut his door, locking it and pressing his back against the wood.

Any of his old friends could be just like Stretch and Blue.

All of them probably were! Red held his head as a few tears built in his eyes. So many people.  So many ‘friends'. So many people he was certain wanted to hurt him too. So many interactions where he trusted them and laughed with all of them. So many moments where they were just thinking of raping him like those two had. The thoughts were flooding his mind.

So many.

_So many._

**_So many._ **

So many. So many. So many. So many. Why ME? So many. So many. So _STUPID_! So many. So many. So many. I _DESREVED_ it. So many. So many. So many. Why did I _TRUST_ them? So many. So many. So many. So many. Why why whywhywhy **_WHY_**!? So many. So many. It hurts _hurts_ **_HURTS_**!

The thoughts wouldn't stop. There was banging, loud and all-consuming with every repetition, thud thud thud, over and over. Red was slamming his head back against the door, sobbing loudly. On the other side Edge was pounding on the door, trying in vain to get Red's attention, but all of the yelling just melted away into incomprehensible nonsense. He pressed the heels of his hands to his face, claws digging at his skull, just wanting the bad thoughts to stop. The thudding on the door was harsher and faster, more thoughts accompanying each thud.

thud So thud many thud _mistakes_. thud i thud am thud so thud _stupid_! thud better thud off thud _dead_. thud just thud _die_. THUD THUD THUD _Die_ **_die_** **_die_**!!!

His hands were suddenly yanked away, a firm grip around his wrists. Amber lights stared back at him. STRETCH! Red immediately wanted to scream, to kick, to do _anything_ at all to save himself from this. He couldn't do it again. He'd die. He would RATHER die!

No matter how much he kicked and struggled, he couldn’t get out of the grip and was lifted off the ground easily. He reached for his magic, but it was no good. He was too afraid. He couldn’t make anything work. He heard something click and his door opening.

“COULD YOU HAVE BEEN ANY SLOWER!?” Razz snapped. The back of Red's head had cracked slightly from the repeated blows and he was fighting hard to get out of Slim's grip.

“S'pose I coulda.” Slim said, sighing a bit. He didn't mean to make this worse on Red, but the smaller skeleton wasn't listening to a single word and he couldn't let him keep hurting himself. Razz was about to tell him off for the smartass remark, but stepped out of the way as Edge stormed in. Slim held Red out for him.

“DAMMIT…” Edge muttered. Red was sobbing and babbling incomprehensibly, but he could make out a few words about Stretch. Edge could take a guess at what was wrong. He grabbed Red up under his arms. “I WILL BE A MOMENT…”

“IS THIS A BAD TIME? WE CAN VISIT ANOTHER DAY" Razz offered, uncrossing his arms. He didn't want to look like he was having an attitude about it.

“NO, I ALREADY HAVE THE SNACKS READY. THEY WOULD GO TO WASTE. I WILL BE DOWN SOON… I AM SORRY, JUST…” he tried to think of something they could do, but he was drawing a blank.

“wouldn't mind watchin some tv…” Slim provided, handing him an excuse.

“I CAN AGREE WITH THAT. IF IT IS ALRIGHT WE WILL WATCH SOME TELEVISION, ONLY UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO JOIN US.”

Edge nodded at them thankfully. He had set Red on the bed and held his brother’s hands to stop any attempts to hurt himself. He waited until the two left the room before turning his attention back to Red, releasing his hands to hold either side of Red's face.

“BROTHER… LOOK. LOOK AT ME. IT IS ALRIGHT. YOU ARE SAFE…” he tried to coax. He got directly in front of Red, pressing their foreheads together, staring directly into one good eye and one with gauze covering it. “I THOUGHT YOU WERE PAST THIS.”

“i'm sorry…. Sorry…. Sorry… sorry sorry sorry…” he kept repeating it, breaking down into sobs.

“I HAVE YOU…”

“stretch… stretch was-"

“NO. NO STRETCH. THEY ARE BOTH DEAD. SLIM WAS HERE. IT WAS ONLY SLIM.” Edge had to take a breath to hold down his frustration when Red still seemed panicked at the thought… but at least he seemed to be stable now. “YOU'VE HURT YOURSELF. I HAVE TO CLEAN UP THE CRACKS AND BANDAGE YOUR HEAD NOW.” Telling Red what he was doing usually calmed things down. He gently tended to Red's injuries before grabbing some mustard from what Red thought was his ‘secret' stash, handing it over.

“thanks….”

“ARE YOU ALRIGHT ALONE NOW?”

“y-yeah…”

“ALRIGHT. I WILL BE DOWNSTAIRS IF YOU NEED ME. IN THE MEANTIME YOU ARE FORBIDDEN FROM SHUTTING YOUR DOOR. I COULD NOT ENTER WHEN I NEEDED TO… YOU COULD HAVE KILLED YOURSELF… I WILL FIX THIS IN THE FUTURE, BUT FOR NOW YOUR DOOR WILL REMAIN OPEN AND I WILL REMOVE IT LATER. DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHY I NEED TO DO THIS?” Edge asked, gripping Red's shoulder gently.

Red only nodded slightly, watching him. Edge sighed and left Red alone, leaving the door open as he returned to his guests downstairs. He missed meeting at the café, but he had to care for Red… At least things were okay for now.


	3. Don't Come Near Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like the attention on this story, but i also would love it if some of you would look into my other things, especially my actual Decaytale AU. but that's up to you. I didn't mean to be away from this story for so long. I guess seeing so much attention on a fan continuation and nothing on my original content is a little discouraging. I''m trying to be better about it though

Slim was back in his room again.

Red was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to be there, or at least that Edge had told him to leave Red alone, but it wasn't like Red could lock him out. The day after his breakdown, his door was taken away. A few days later, Edge had torn down his door frame too. When asked why, he explained that he wanted Red to have a door that opens outward. He wanted to make sure that he could force the door open without risking hurting Red if he needed to.

Red really didn't have a choice in the matter. A part of him understood why Edge needed to do it, but another part of him resented his brother for it. He shook his head to try to get rid or thoughts like that. His brother wanted the best for him. If he should be mad at anyone, it should be Slim for his constant intrusions… but he wasn't. He refused to get too close to anyone, but having some type of company, any kind of company, was nice.

Slim had been coming often enough for Red to give up on yelling and hissing at him. Slim would come in, get comfortable on his bed, and either read something, toy with his phone, or doze off. Any conversation they did have only happened when Red started it. Otherwise Slim would just mind his own business. If Slim wasn't constantly coming in whenever he pleased, Red would be in control of the entire interaction.

Not that Red ever would invite him in… but that wasn't the point. Red just had to tolerate the intrusions and be thankful for anything keeping him from being too lonely, especially since black had been nice enough to come keep an eye on Red. Edge had taken so long away from work to make sure he'd be okay, but he had to go back sometime. Red was sure Edge was enjoying doing anything productive… especially after all the time taking care of a worthless pile of trash like-

“don't.” Slim muttered, making red jump a bit. Slim usually didn't speak up until Red said something first. He seemed to know where Red's mind was going somehow.

“mind yer own fuckin' business!” Red snapped his jaws a bit as he spoke, giving a bit of a feeble threat display.

Slim was watching him but looked unfazed and unimpressed. He knew Red wasn't a threat and the fact left Red feeling all the more pathetic for even trying. Slim sat up from his spot on the bed, yawning loudly and stretching himself out a bit. Red huddled in his spot in a little corner of the room, eyeing slim as the taller male stood up, hands in his pockets. He wasn't saying anything.

“you don't know what the fuck i'm thinking! You don't know shit!” Red tried to muster up his courage again, but his voice was still wavering.

Slim stepped a bit closer and Red started to feel more trapped in his little nest of cushions and blankets in the corner of the room. Why the fuck wasn't Slim saying anything to him!?

Red pressed tighter into the corner, his unbandaged eye darting around. Slim reached down towards him and he bolted. He tripped and fell hard to the ground, feeling his ankle grabbed tightly. He shut his eyes and kicked out hard, beginning to let out desperate screams. He just wanted to be let go of!

Razz ran in, hearing the screaming from downstairs. Slim just stuck his hands up to show he hadn't done anything. Red was laying on the floor, a blanket curled around his ankle and the other foot getting tangled up from all his thrashing 

“FUCKING…. RED! STOP FOR A SECOND!” He snapped, kneeling down to grab Red's shoulders and sit him up. Red was still struggling a little, but his eyes snapped open when he was grabbed, and he looked around frantically.

Slim knelt down in front of him “I was only gonna fix your bandage. The bottom got loose." He said quietly, reaching down to gently get Red's feet out of the blankets. Before reaching up to fix the bandage over Red's eye. Red was still shaking and wheezing as black and slim argued in front of him. He just slowly backed up and huddled into his corner again.

He wasn't sure when he fell asleep, but when he opened his eyes he was tucked into bed, so he just calmly curled into his pillow and returned to sleep.


End file.
